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Thursday, March 19, 2026
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    MLB TV Off to Record Start

    • Baseball is back and the league’s streaming service, MLB TV, has knocked it out of the park.
    • More than 1.34 billion minutes of live games have been watched on the platform.
    By
    Apr 20, 2021 | 04:15 pm
    UPDATED Feb 18, 2023 | 01:50 pm
    Major League Baseball TV start season fast in 2021.
    Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

    Major League Baseball is back in full swing — and its official streaming service MLB TV is knocking it out of the park. 

    Thanks to a season start with lots of no-hitters and games that feel like October, MLB TV is experiencing significant audience growth. 

    More than 1.34 billion minutes of live games were watched on MLB TV from Opening Day through April 18, a 12% uptick from the same period last season and 43% compared to 2019, according to Major League Baseball.

    Total games watched on MLB TV is up 22% compared to last season and 35% compared to 2019.

    An extra-innings game between the Blue Jays and Yankees on Opening Day ended up being the most-watched game in MLB TV history. 

    ESPN is also reaping the benefits. Through the first two weeks of the season, the network’s weekly “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast experienced a 33% increase in viewership compared to the 2020 full-season average. 

    Perhaps best of all? Fans are back in the stands. 

    Through the first three weekends, more than 2.2 million fans made a trip to the ballpark.

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